2013 Chateau Buena Vista Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Friday! I've been working in the yard gathering leaves all afternoon, so it's definitely time to have a glass of wine!  Tonight I've decided to open a bottle of 2013 Chateau Buena Vista Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon that I got at Costco just a few weeks ago, so let's see how this wine tastes!

The wine is lovely deep ruby color in the glass, just as you'd expect from a quality Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. The nose is a rush of smoke, leather, blackberry and cherry that just exudes ripe Napa Cabernet.  The taste is a rush of ripe black fruit and warm spice, blackberry, plum and cassis overlaid with white pepper spice and kirsch.  The tannins are beautifully structured providing for the backbone of a long, smooth, voluptuous finish that seems to last more than a minute.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's just what you'd expect from a Napa  Cabernet.  This wine practically screams to be paired with a big honkin' steak, and it just so happens I have a thick, Angus porterhouse to enjoy with this wine tonight, grilled rare with some grilled leeks, Brussels sprouts and a big baked potato with some sour cream and  chives. A perfect finish to a long week, cheers!

2010 Noble Vines 337 Cabernet Sauvignon

It's a hot summer day and a perfect time for grilling out, and where there's steak, there's Cabernet Sauvignon!  For tonight's adventure, I've decided to open a bottle of 2010 Noble Vines 337 Cabernet Sauvignon from Lodi, California.  Now you know I've always been a big fan of Lodi Zinfandels as I think there is just something magical about what they do with Zins out there, but the Cabs are more of an open question for me.

The wine is a bit lighter in color than I expected, with a bright ruby color throughout.  The nose exhibits notes of leather, oak and rich ripe fruit, blackberries, cherries and plums.  The taste is somewhat fruit forward, with a blast of sweet ripe fruit at the outset, eerily similar to many Lodi Zins, which then transitions to some earthy limestone notes midpalate.  The tannins are somewhat subdued, even though this wine has a very nice, long and modestly dry finish.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 7.5, it's a little young and might improve a bit with age, but I believe this wine is better consumed now rather than waiting.  It was also a good value, as I recall buying this at Trader Joe's and I seriously doubt I paid more than $10 for it!  Tonight I am pairing it with a classic summer dinner of rare grilled Angus ribeye with some grilled corn on the cob and some steamed asparagus, so yummy!  The rich fruit presents a nice counterbalance to the heavy flavors of the steak, which is ideal in my view.  Cheers!

2007 Tangley Oaks Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

That's it, I'm done!  I finished my last day of work before my Christmas Vacation (hold on, I think I'll watch that tonight!) and I am done working until 2013!  And to celebrate, I've opened a nice bottle of 2007 Tangley Oaks Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, and purchased a special cut of meat for my meal on the way home, so this should be good!

Now, I'll admit I'm unfamiliar with "Tangley Oaks" as a winery, but I happened across this wine last weekend at a tasting at my local wine merchant, G.B. Russo's, and what I learned was that this wine was made from the same grapes used to make the Rutherford Napa Valley Cabernet, which typically costs about twice what this bottle costs.  When there is a surplus of grapes, they simply bottle the wine under the Tangley Oaks label so as not to dilute the value of their premium brands - it's really a win-wine (get it?) as we get some stellar wine for a bargain price!

The wine itself has a deep purple color, as you might expect from a Napa Valley Cabernet from this super vintage.  The nose is quite subdued, with notes of cedar, leather, cocoa and some mixed floral notes accented by rich ripe fruit of blackberry and black currant.  The taste is exactly what a high-quality '07 NV cab should be, rich ripe fruit up front, followed by some chocolate and earthy notes midpalate, and a finish that is bone dry, with supple tannins creating a long, smooth balance of woodsy flavors.  This really represents a solid Napa Valley Cabernet effort.

Now this wine is a big, bold Cab that stands up to the best of a bold beefy dinner, which it so happens I am lucky enough to enjoy tonight!  I stopped at a local supermarket in Indiana where I've been working the last two days and picked up a "cowboy cut" ribeye!

Can you believe they classify this as "semi-boneless"?  In any case I am enjoying this wine with this monster steak and it's delicious in every way!  A rare steak, big baked potato and some steamed Brussels sprouts, what could be better?  Oh, the wine, yes I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, as it's really a great Napa Valley Cabernet from a great vintage but for only $22!  So if you happen across this one, pick up a bottle or two for the holidays!